Fates
by Raptorguy19
Summary: Ever wonder what the Red Dead universe would look like in the present day?


**This is something I wrote a while ago. It's just a write up describing the fates of all of the major locations in Red Dead Redemption. In order words, it describes what these places would be like today. I hope you enjoy this one chapter story as I continue to work on the first chapter of the sequel to** ** _Rebel Yell._**

 ** _New Austin_**

Armadillo: Due to the significance of the Pacific Union Railroad Company, Armadillo continued to survive into the 1920s. When the stock market crashed in 1929, the Pacific Union Railroad Company filed for bankruptcy and the town quickly began to dry up. Most of the town's residents left by 1933, but one remained to operate the saloon until the 1940s. The town has been abandoned ever since. The New Austin Historical Society restored the old saloon building in 2011 and is currently restoring the remaining buildings in town. The saloon now serves as a museum and still serves alcoholic beverages on special occasions.

MacFarlane Ranch: The death of Mr. MacFarlane in 1919 sent hardship to the ranch, but it pushed forward under the direction of Bonnie MacFarlane and her husband. Much like Armadillo, the MacFarlane Ranch took a hard hit during the Great Depression. Most of the ranch workers lost their jobs and several of the buildings were sold for scrap, starting with the train station building. The shack where John Marston stayed was sold to another local ranch where it remains today. Regular stage service to the ranch was discontinued in 1935, two years before the stage line itself was completely abandoned. By 1940, only Bonnie and her husband remained working on the ranch. When Bonnie passed away in 1960, her husband sold the ranch and moved back East. The ranch house is the only remaining original building and is a popular tourist destination managed by the New Austin Historical Society. The historical society has also rebuilt the corrals and has planted crops to give the farm an authentic appearance.

Thieves' Landing: In 1922, a raid now famously known as the "Battle of Thieves' Landing" took place. After a three day siege on the town both local and federal authorities killed a total of fifteen outlaws and arrested almost thirty outlaws. The town was renamed Riverside and struggled on as a legitimate fishing community. The town that once had a sour reputation now only has ten permanent residents, but with most of its original buildings preserved and given its outlaw past, it is also a popular tourist attraction. Despite the name change, a sign that reads "Welcome to old Thieves' Landing!" marks the entrance to the town.

Rathskeller Fork: Always a small and isolated community, Rathskeller Fork has not changed much since the events of _Red Dead Redemption_. Dirt roads still lead to the town and a few local ranchers call the community home.

Fort Mercer: Fort Mercer continued to rot away and be used as an occasional outlaw hideout. The last outlaw gang was driven out in 1927 and the fort was left to rot. The south wall collapsed in 1978 and several items were taken by looters, including the large double doors in front of the building, but not much has changed otherwise.

Tumbleweed: In 1968, a multi-millionaire bought the rotting town of Tumbleweed and restored its buildings, including its large two story mansion. A well maintained dirt road leads to the town which is now known as the Tumbleweed National Historic District.

Ridgewood Farm: Also listed as a national historic district, Ridgewood is the only large scale farming/ranching operation still operating in the Cholla Springs region. Visitors are able to participate in every day farming activities, including planting crops, milking cows, and riding horses (although horse breaking is still handled by the ranch hands due to liability concerns). The home that John Marston stayed in at the MacFarlane Ranch was moved to Ridgewood in 1936 and is now home to a small museum that pays homage to the local hero of New Austin.

Plainview: A large oil reserve was tapped at Plainview in 1916 and the small tent community boomed into a full town complete with two saloons, a shoe shop, three restaurants, several general merchandise stores, and a hospital staffed by the Catholic Church. The town enjoyed prosperity until the oil reserve was completely mined out in 1925. The Great Depression caused the total abandonment of the town in 1931 and a fire destroyed most of the ruins.

Gaptooth Ridge: Miners continued to search for the mother lode that they believed was the source of wealth for nearby Tumbleweed. The mother lode was never found and the town never evolved past being a tent community. The mine itself was restored by the New Austin Historical Society in 2005 and several new tents were erected to represent what the small mining community used to look like.

Benedict Point: Much like Armadillo, Benedict Point suffered a crippling blow when the Pacific Union Railroad Company went bankrupt in 1929. The town was abandoned by 1930. Several rotting buildings remain and the current owner of the property is very strict on not allowing visitors.

New Austin Historical Society: Although it's not a location or mentioned in _Red Dead Redemption_ , the New Austin Historical Society was established in 2000 to oversee the preservation and restoration of several important historical sites in New Austin. Despite its name, the New Austin Historical Society is based in Blackwater, in West Elizabeth.

New Austin: In general, the region known as New Austin suffered greatly during the Great Depression. Most ranchers left and never returned to the land, as it was never particularly profitable to begin with. The population of New Austin peaked at 4,126 in the 1920 census but dropped drastically to 1,718 in 1930 and less than 1,000 people remained in 1940. Only about 70 permanent residents remain in New Austin in the present day. Despite the drastic drop in population figures, New Austin is a very popular tourist destination. Almost 100,000 tourists passed through the area in 2014 and the number is projected to increase in future years. A major highway also runs through the region, passing through Armadillo, MacFarlane Ranch, and Riverside (formerly Thieves' Landing) up to Blackwater.

 _ **West Elizabeth**_

Pacific Union Railroad Camp: The Pacific Union Railroad Camp continued to provide much needed services to trains until the railroad filed for bankruptcy in late 1929. The camp was immediately demolished and no traces remain.

Bearclaw Camp: The Bearclaw Camp was restored by the West Elizabeth Historical Society in partnership with the New Austin Historical Society in 2007. As an open air museum, Bearclaw Camp gives visitors a good idea of what it was like to live in a logging camp in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Manzanita Post: In 1944, a devastating fire destroyed most of the buildings in the small town of Manzanita. Only the store owner and a couple clerks remained in town to operate the trading post which had been mostly spared from the effects of the fire. The post remained in the family for several decades and was only shut down after the economic recession of 2008. The building remains in the hands of the same family and there are talks of reopening the business soon.

Nekoti: Although not mentioned in Red Dead Redemption, a rich vein of silver was struck near Nekoti Rock in 1915. A rough-and-ready mining camp called Nekoti was established at the base of the mountain. Most of the residents were Native Americans and a good portion of them were former members of Dutch Van Der Linde's gang. As if to keep the motives of their former mentor alive, the residents of Nekoti were notoriously violent and rowdy. The Bureau of Investigation formally investigated twenty murders in the town during its brief history. Most murders went unreported. After reaching a peak population of 600 in 1920, an avalanche destroyed a good portion of the town. Local lore says that the priest of Blackwater had prayed for this to happen, but these claims cannot be substantiated. The town was rebuilt but the population was reported as just 32 in 1930. Only four people remained in 1940 but the mine continued small scale operations. At present the mine is privately owned and still operated on occasion and only the mine caretaker still lives in Nekoti.

Aurora Basin: Formerly an outlaw hideout, a large resort was built at Aurora Basin in 1980 and is a popular place for travelers to stop. The shack that was used by outlaws was moved closer to the hillside but was destroyed by an avalanche in 1994.

Wreck of the Serendipity: The first act of business of the New Austin Historical Society was to purchase and restore the Wreck of the Serendipity, which had fallen into terrible condition. The docks around the boat were repaired first; this work was completed in 2003. The boat itself had to be salvaged and the reproduction was built from wood collected from the original. The reproduction now sits proudly in sailing position and has been restored to its appearance when it was new.

Blackwater: By far the most populous settlement in West Elizabeth, Blackwater is now home to over 20,000 permanent residents. The Main Street is now paved with asphalt and all of the original buildings from the early 20th century era remain, as do several others that were built in the 1920s and 1930s. The saloon still operates as a bar and is the oldest continuously operated business in Blackwater, having first opened its doors in 1890. The Bureau of Investigation became the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the FBI continues to operate a branch in Blackwater. This is the longest continuously operated branch of the FBI and the building is listed on the National Historic Register. The town is a very popular tourist destination and it offers ferry rides over Blackwater Lake.

Beecher's Hope Ranch: A real estate company set its sights on Beecher's Hope in 2006 and made plans to demolish the historic ranch. In 2008, the West Elizabeth Historical Society purchased the property from the real estate company and funded the restoration of the Marston ranch at Beecher's Hope. A dirt road maintained by the county leads to the property. All of the buildings from the 1911 era were saved from demolition and were restored to their original condition. The home operates as a museum and the interior was preserved as best as possible. The grounds are managed by Paul and Sarah MacFarlane, who also help manage the MacFarlane Ranch property.

West Elizabeth: In general, West Elizabeth fared better than New Austin. Although several locations in the area have seen ups and downs, the growth of Blackwater has compensated for this. In 1910, West Elizabeth was home to about 7,000 people (most of which lived in Blackwater). Almost 30,000 people live in West Elizabeth today.

 **I hope you enjoyed this little theoretical insight into the future of the Red Dead universe. The first chapter of the** ** _Rebel Yell_** **sequel should be up by next week, so keep an eye out for that! As always, thanks for reading.**


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